Come out and play: Shyness in childhood and the benefits of organized sports participation.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of organised sport participation as a moderator of the links between shyness and psychosocial maladjustment in childhood. Participants at Time 1 were 355 elementary schoolchildren (M age = 10.1 years, SD = 0.6); at Time 2, 1 year later, 201 children (56%) were retained. At both time points, children completed self-report assessments of their shyness and aggression, sport participation, and psychosocial adjustment. Parents also rated children's social skills. Overall, results indicated that sport participation was positively related to indices of positive adjustment (e.g., social skills, self-esteem). In contrast, shyness was associated with social skill deficiencies and internalizing problems. However, some evidence was also found to suggest that sport participation plays a unique protective role for shy children. Shy children who participated in sport over time reported a significant decrease in anxiety. Results are discussed in terms of the role of sport as a social context to enhance shy children's peer relations.